John Predmore, S.J., is a Northeast Province Jesuit and was the pastor of Jordan's English language parish. He studies art and directs BC High's adult spiritual formation programs. Formerly a retreat director in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Ignatian Spirituality is given through guided meditations, weekend-, 8-day, and 30-day Retreats based on The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatian Spirituality serves the contemporary world as people strive to develop a friendship with God.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Spirituality: Easter Joy

Happy Easter!

Intimacy with Jesus is the central grace of the Spiritual Exercises,
which helps us experience the risen Jesus who rejoices to share with us the
boundless intimacy of his resurrected life. The contemplation on the Love of
God has us reflect on the limitless blessings that God cascades down on our
world like they rays of the sun. Our response is, “The Take, Lord, Receive”
prayer.

Intimacy holds nothing back. Those in a truly intimate relationship share
everything. Ignatius wants us to be in this type of friendship with Jesus, who
is all heart, where we want to share everything with him, and he with us. Jesus
is all heart.

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to
live deliberately…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived… I
wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… to put to rout all
that was not life…

As we enter into Easter’s joyful season, let us pray for the grace of “joy
with Christ in joy.”Yes, Jesus is
joyful because of God’s victory over sin and death and he wants to share his
joy with us. This joy is more than a mere happiness of contentment – but a deep
sense that all is well and will be well. Life will still be chaotic, but all
will be well in the end.

Joy does not burst onto the scene, but is more subtle. It grows slowly
and may scarcely command our attention. We seek for joy in the same way we seek
God – we heighten our senses and pay attention to the details. At some point,
we will notice the insignificant event that is infused with joy and we will be
caught with surprise.